to the finish
by NickyFox13
Summary: The same red-gold hair haunts Scorpius Malfoy's dreams. -one sided ScorpiusDominique-


When Scorpius dreams, he dreams of perfume wafting through his nostrils. It's a strong, fruity scent that remains running through his thoughts, guiding him through dimly lit corridors of a labyrinth that seems to resemble Hogwarts, but in a dreamland where ideas resemble reality. He notices vivid red-gold hair in his peripheral vision, and he watches it flow around a sharp corner. The brightness of this wonderfully thick, soft hair acts almost like a guiding light in the gloominess of the grey-brown haze setting inside labyrinth.

Naturally curious, Scorpius follows the hair, too mesmerized with the idea of capturing the memory of red-gold in his hands and in his mind to really rationalize why he needs this intangible _thing_ so badly. A soft lullaby plays in the background, closer to a hoarse whisper than an actual song. It's so quiet, Scorpius doesn't register that the song plays until he finds the owner of the red-gold hair. He felt knots in his stomach when he realized Dominique owns the coveted hair that looks like spun silk, cascading down her back like a bright red waterfall.

She grins like a hungry lion, eyes shining in some mysterious emotion Scorpius can't really describe, a dangerous almost predatory stare that frightens Scorpius into place. She stands tall and steady, still hiding under the halo of her hair. The colors around him start to drown out when he acknowledges Dominique's monstrous grin. He could say that this is a metaphor for the dark side of romance, because he knew that fancying Dominique from afar wasn't one of his best ideas. He knows, through Albus's grumbled, constant complaining and Louis's terrified monologues that Dominique, when angered, goes on a spree that makes a rampaging lion look tame.

But he's sure his love for her is worth it, as the once lullaby starts becoming more rough and screechy. He falls into a swirling black hole, then becomes blinded by an unknown light source.

He wakes up in a cold sweat.

* * *

The next night, he yet again dreams of Dominique. But this time, it's different and Scorpius isn't sure whether or not he's grateful for the change of pace. What he does like is that there are no confusing labyrinths, where the gloom is nonexistent and there's no impending, unspoken horrors against a backdrop of an unknown place. His dream takes place in an unassuming normal field of wheat, a warm shade of gold when the yellow-orange sun hits it right. Somehow, like always, Dominique invades his dream. He expects her to be there at this point. Her presence in his dream is somehow assuring.

Her usual near blindingly vivid hair is muted so much it almost looks like a faded pink with a helpful splattering of gold glitter mixed within her hair. The shimmering gold of the wheat field compliments her hair in the best way possible. It seems like a deliberate plan to make Scorpius' heart skip too many beats.

"Dominique…" He says, expecting some kind of answer. He hesitates to say something else because he know well enough that, although she is opinionated, she calculates when she speaks. He wants She seems more subdued, as if she had a good night's sleep. She walks towards Scorpius, who, like in his last dream, is frozen solid in the spot he's standing in. Instead of getting closer, like what one would expect when Dominique walks closer and at a steady pace, Dominique looks like she's simply walking in place, the white cotton dress she's wearing swirling around her legs.

_Going nowhere never looked so easy, _thought Scorpius, slightly disappointed at what he was dreaming. It was like a let down to know that Dominique, even in his dreams, would never be where he wanted. The lack of control over his heart and his mind made Scorpius want to start crying even though tears solved nothing. If anything, tears caused more unnecessary problems in his life he'd rather not deal with at the present.

He just wants to live and laugh and be himself, as horrendously cliché that sounds but clichés are reliable because they've been done before with varying degrees of success. If his heart can lead him through a semi-successful trip littered with love, he's sure he'll be happy. He doesn't make promises, as Dominique still strides towards Scorpius whose just bored with the whole spectacle of watching.

_Maybe love isn't all that its cracked up to be, _Scorpius thinks, bitterly reminded of his recurring dreams as his mind slowly wanders out of the clouds that hold dreams and into the land of reality.

* * *

He plans to stay awake all night tonight because these recurring dreams are bothering him. They always come when he's sleeping at his deepest and he seems to mostly remember them in the morning. He feels vaguely creepy always having Dominique Weasley in his dreams and he wants to take action. Instead of thinking and calculating and feeling, he finally goes forth to make sure to eradicate any thought of her. She's beautiful and smart and everything he wants in a girl but he can't keep dreaming of her. It's not fair to his ailing heart and it's not fair to everything and everyone else who misses the dry wit of Scorpius Malfoy.

He tip-toes to the library because, even though he's no book worm, he finds the place calming at the very least. He becomes intently focused on a book about some famous dead Quidditch player when he notices the same vibrant hair that's been haunting his dreams.

"Dominique," he mumbles, although he's not sure what she's doing here. Dominique was closer to Victoire's age than to his own. Scorpius knew for a fact that she graduated some time back.

"Scorpius! What're you doing her so late?" She asks, looking groggy and sleep deprived. "I could ask the same thing." She grins at his response.

"Why didn't you?" Dominique retorts, eyebrows furrowed."Because it's too early in the morning to be at all clever." Scorpius states mildly, avoiding her eyes because he's afraid he'll see his dreams in her eyes, so he keeps his gaze intent on the page he's reading.

"I don't expect cleverness out of you, Malfoy." Dominique said, wiping the grin off of her tired face. "I couldn't sleep, if you wanted to know." Scorpius answers haughtily.

"I couldn't either."

"Why are you at Hogwarts? Didn't you graduate a while ago?"

"I did. I got permission to Floo to Hogwarts at any time I wanted. I couldn't sleep either and the Hogwarts library is the best place to fall asleep." She explains almost dreamily, the nostalgia clear in her whispering.

"You thought Flooing to Hogwarts at nearly two thirty in the morning was a good idea?"

"You're awake at the same time, so it's not like I'm not the only one who's barking mad."

"Clever," and with that, he decides that he's ready to sleep. "Goodnight, Dominique."

"Sleep well, Malfoy." He falls asleep grinning and he doesn't care that he's gone against his promise to stay awake all night.

* * *

**A/N: Written for February 26's 'Prompts, Oh Prompts' challenge on the Next Gen Forum in a different style than I normally write. The end was probably cheesy and I hope the prose isn't too overwrought. Any feedback is appreciated!**


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